A Family's Mistake
by ZAFT Prime
Summary: A prophecy nearly tears a family apart, and now they work to make amends with each other. But in the world of Shinobi, that task is easier said than done when one's father is the Fourth Hokage and one's twin sister is the container for the Kyuubi itself. A Fourth Hokage family-fic. Rated T for mentions of suicide and self-harm. Sporadic updates every now and then, no schedule.
1. Prologue

**Note: This is a challenge put up by Patriot-112 that I decided to take on. I do not own Naruto or the idea for this, as they belong to Kishimoto and Patriot-112.**

Prologue

The Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, was, if not is, the finest Hokage to ever grace the Hidden Leaf Ninja Village of Konoha. He defeated an entire battalion from the Leaf's main rival, the Hidden Stone village of Iwa with the use of his infamous Hiraishin no Jutsu, and created the no hand seal Rasengan after acquiring inspiration from his wife, Kushina Uzumaki, the former Jinchuuriki of Kyuubi, when she used a tailed beast bomb for the first time.

However despite his many accomplishments, and achieving the title of "Strongest ninja in Konoha.", he feared two things.

One, his high tempered wife.

And two, making a mistake that could cost him something precious.

And right now, he may have just made one of those mistakes.

You see after the Kyuubi attack, and the birth of his twin children, he and his wife made the stupidest decision of their lives, favoring one child over the other. The child they favored was their daughter, the new Jinchuriki of the Kyuubi, Namiko, while their son, Naruto, was forgotten, and neglected.

They began to train their daughter at a young age in the Shinobi arts, while they ignored their son's pleas to join in. Whenever they went out, they always chose her choice over his. And when a usual prank happened, Naruto was the first person to be blamed. He told them the truth that he didn't do it, but was then accused of being a liar before being sent to his room.

But now, Minato and his wife were not scolding him, or giving him any punishment. For they were both in a hospital room, with a currently unconscious 9 year old Naruto on the bed, bandages around his lower torso which was slightly stained red with blood, and the slow but steady beeping of a heart monitor to the side of the bed, as Naruto's breaths came shallowly. Kushina was sitting in a chair next to the bed as tears flowed down the sides of her face, her hands gently clasping her comatose son's.

The Yondaime himself was standing at the foot of the bed, his face solemn, as he looked at his son's form. His usually healthy light tanned skin was now a ghostly pale, and his blonde hair had lost its bright shine. The reason why his child was like this?

His heart couldn't take it anymore. And thus, just a week shy of his and his sister's tenth birthday, he snuck into the kitchen, grabbed a knife from the rack, and proceeded to stab himself three times in the stomach before Kushina and Namiko came home, and, after overcoming their horror after seeing him bleeding, stopped him before he could do it a fourth time. After he fell unconscious, Kushina frantically took him to the hospital, while telling their daughter to stay at home and not let anyone into the house.

Minato was notified 30 minutes later by a Medic-nin, and went over to the hospital, thinking that Naruto might've just sprained an ankle or something. He mentally kicked himself after he saw the state Naruto was in. The head medic told Minato that the knife stabbed his liver, nicked his spleen, and nearly severed his large intestine. They managed to heal the large intestine and his liver, while the Spleen was alright, so there was no need to heal it.

While Minato and Kushina were glad their only son was out of danger, they were concerned that Naruto hadn't woken up, since it had been six days.

Minato could only sigh in regret. This could've been avoided if they had just been paying attention and giving love to not just Namiko, but their son as well. Kushina had not left her son's side even once. She hadn't even eaten anything, not even ramen.

 _'How could I've been so STUPID?!'_ Minato thought angrily at himself, but then his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.

"I came as soon I got your message." Minato turned and saw his sensei Jiraiya standing in the doorway, for once not using the window. "But I didn't know it was this serious."

The Gama Sennin walked into the hospital and stood on the other side of the bed, as Kushina was stroking Naruto's hair.

"I fucked up sensei..." Minato said remorsefully, "I fucked up big time."

Jiraiya nodded as he looked at his student's son, and couldn't help but feel sadness grip his heart, but his face remained neutral.

"Did you have a Yamanaka erase his memory of his attempt?" he said, and Minato nodded.

"Yeah, just yesterday, but I know he's gonna be asking about those bandages when...or if he wakes up." Minato said, and Jiraiya sighed.

"You know Minato, when I said that Namiko could be the Child of Prophecy, that didn't mean favor her while neglecting her brother." the Toad Sage said, while Minato's response was to scowl at him.

"It would've been better if you hadn't told me at all." he said with an edged tone. "And because of that stupid prophecy, me and Kushina almost lost our son, and for Namiko, a brother."

Jiraiya raised his hands in defense at that. "Hey, don't go pointing the finger at me, Minato! I didn't practically tell you to push your son into the gutter! We can just all be glad that he's still alive." he said, even though there was some truth in Minato's words.

"Still..." Kushina said softly, and the two men turned to her. "Our son almost died because of a broken heart...caused by us." she then began to sob as she caressed her boy's whiskered face. "And we're all to blame for it."

Minato could only look on sadly as Kushina began to cry and then stood to gently embrace her son. Whispering apologies to him, hoping he would hear.

The two men could only look on. As Kushina cried over her son's sleeping form, it was then the daughter of his student perked up in Jiraiya's head.

"How Namiko taking this?" he asked, and Minato sighed.

"She's worried sick. She told us that before the suicide attempt, she had been trying to talk to Naruto in order to cheer him up, but..." he left that hanging and Jiraiya nodded, but then became confused by what Minato said next as his features turned spiteful.

"We also found out who were really responsible for those pranks that we accused Naruto of doing...apparently some Academy students were doing them and were making him a scapegoat, out of jealousy." his fists clenched at that. "A group of ANBU caught 'em in the act, early yesterday morning, when they were attempting to paint graffiti on the Hokage Faces, and were about to leave his name as a sign he did it."

Jiraiya blinked at that, before his eyes narrowed. "I assumed they gloated about how they easily fooled most of the village to think that he was a troublemaker and a prankster."

Minato nodded, the very memory of those boys laughing at their misdeeds made his blood boil. "Yeah. But I gave them something to truly worry about..." he said. "I had them expelled from the Ninja Academy, clean up the mess they made at the Hokage mountain, apologize to every citizen they did their pranks on, and had their parents each pay a large fine to pay Naruto's medical bill and the damage they caused."

Jiraiya could only wince at the possible reaction the parents had...and those kids were DEEPLY regretting their actions now...

Minato then looked back at his son and sighed, slumping down in the chair near the wall and placed his head in his hands. "How could have I been so stupid?" He groaned. "If I had just been paying more attention, none of this would have happened…"

The Toad Sannin could only frown at the way the younger man was acting. Deep down, he too felt regret at what had happened. In a way, Minato was right. He _had_ been partly to blame in telling the Hokage that prophecy. Jiraiya didn't know what else to say at first, but then he sighed, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "Look, I know it seems rough right now, but things will get better." He assured him.

Minato just glared at his sensei. "Yeah? How? My only son nearly took his own life! How can things get better from here?!" He snapped back.

The glare in his blue eyes made Jiraiya shiver, but he didn't let his former student see that. Instead, the Toad Sage responded with a similar glare of his own. "I have way more experience in life than you do, young man!" Jiraiya retorted. "That's how I know."

The Fourth Hokage just glared back, his eyes so hard they seemed to be ice instead of the normal blue color the Toad Sage was so used to. "You never made the mistake of favoring one child over the other…"Minato hissed back. Then he looked back at his son, sadness creeping onto his face as he did so. Sighing, again Minato placed his head in his hands. "I was so damn stupid…" Tears were now running down his face as he clenched his fists in his lap. "There's no _way_ that my son will forgive me for what I did…"

Jiraiya could see the Hokage was torn up about this. "Minato, he will forgive you. Just give him time and love, okay?" That made the Fourth Hokage perk up. He looked at his master as Jiraiya smiled at him. "Just be there for him, and work to correct your mistake, alright? It's still not too late. Just explain what happened, and be there for him from now on."

Minato looked back at his son's still form, hope in his eyes for the first time. "You really think so?" He asked as the Toad Sage nodded.

"From what I have seen, Naruto loves you, even when you weren't there for him. I think he felt he was in the way of you loving your daughter more and wanted you to be happy with only her, feeling he was just a disappointment." Jiraiya said, but that only seemed to make things worse, and he instantly regretted it when Minato seemed to become upset again.

"But he's not! Naruto was never a disappointment!" Minato protested, only for Jiraiya to place his hands on the Hokage's shoulders to keep him from bolting upright.

"Just calm down! I said it was what I _thought_! I didn't mean he thought that for real!" The Toad Sage insisted, only for the younger man to just go limp.

"I know…" Minato said sadly. "But it's just so hard to accept…what we did…I just want to tell Naruto how sorry I am…and how much he means to both me and his mother…"

Jiraiya removed his hands from Minato's shoulders and sighed. "I know…but you need to be there for him from here on out, okay?"

Another sigh was his response. "Okay…"

That night, the famed Yellow Flash was lying in bed with his hands behind his head, unable to sleep. How could he when his son was in a coma in the hospital? He glanced back beside him, but his wife's side of the bed was empty. She had elected to stay at the hospital in case anything changed with Naruto. Minato sighed as he sat up, his head in his hands once more. He felt like such a fool for not seeing what his son was going through. _'I was such an idiot…'_ He thought.

Getting to his feet, Minato got out of bed and made his way to the balcony of his home. He headed outside, only to feel the cool night air against the bare skin of his upper body. The Yellow Flash placed his arms on the balcony railing and stood there, the wind teasing his hair as the breeze floated around him. His mind was on Naruto and how he was doing. It was rare that he was unable to sleep, and often times, he found a walk could calm him down if it got to that point. _'Maybe I should…'_ Minato thought as he stood up.

Making his way inside, the Fourth Hokage found a simple shirt and slipped it on before he grabbed one of his signature kunai and left the house for a while. Namiko would be alright by herself. She was trained in the Shinobi arts. The thought of that made the Yellow Flash wince. Because of his actions, his son was left defenseless. _'Maybe I should work on rectifying that…'_ He thought as he made his way down the street. "Maybe…I should work on training Naruto so he's not entirely defenseless from now on…" Minato murmured to himself. Up until the twins had been three, he had loved them both the same. But when Jiraiya had explained the prophecy when they reached that age, things had gone downhill for them all. Minato and Kushina had begun to favor Namiko over Naruto. Sure, they hadn't neglected their son outright, the parents had given him food, clothes, and had not hit him, but they had shown favor towards his sister. Sure, they had loved Naruto, but not as much as Namiko at the time.

The Fourth Hokage stopped and stood against a wall with his back to it. He sighed as he took out his signature kunai and looked at it. He stared at it for a long while, wondering what had been going through his son's mind at the time of his attempt. Minato scowled at the bladed weapon and stuffed it into his pants pocket before continuing on. The young Hokage didn't really pay attention to his surroundings and eventually found himself in front of the hospital. He snorted once. Of all the places to wind up, it was outside the every building where his son was. He didn't need his wife to know he was out and about at this time of night.

The Yellow Flash looked up at the building for a long while before he sighed and decided it was time to head back home. The trip back was the same as the trip out, but the whole time, Minato found he was unable to avoid thinking about his son. Eventually, the famed Hokage just let sleep claim him, his thoughts still revolving around his son. _'I'm sorry Naruto…'_ He thought before sleep overcame him for the evening…

A loud sound interrupted the veil of sleep for one Minato Namikaze as his hand shot out from under the blanket for the alarm on his bedside nightstand. The loud noise ceased, but he still didn't get up. Thankfully, when word of what happened yesterday leaked out, the council had given him the day off, so he could sleep in for once. The Hokage didn't even stir once the alarm had gone quiet, preferring to remain under the blankets until either his daughter came to get him up, his wife got him up, or even his perverted sensei came to get him up.

Surprisingly, none of them came to get him up, which was a surprise to the Yellow Flash. He sat up, removing the blankets as he did so. He was still wearing his shirt from last night's walk, and his blonde hair was even messier than usual, indicating he had suffered a restless night. A yawn escaped him as he sat up, only for something sharp to poke him in the butt. Minato yelped as he jumped up, only to pull out his kunai that had still been in his pocket. He cursed under his breath as he set the weapon down on the nightstand and pulled off his shirt.

After a warm shower and something to eat, Minato was making his way down to the hospital to see how his son was doing. Again, he was dressed in casual clothing, although he was not unarmed. As the village's leader, he had to be alert for any possible attacks on his life. The Fourth Hokage hoped his son had some improvement in his condition, but he highly doubted it.

As he entered the room, Minato could see his wife sleeping in a chair against the wall, his son's form still as limp as it had been six, now seven, days ago. Minato looked down in sadness. It was his son's birthday, a fact that made the young Hokage even more disappointed in himself and his wife. Because of his actions, Naruto was now in a coma on a day that was supposed to be a happy time for him.

Walking up to Naruto's bed, Minato sat down and ran a hand along his son's face. "I'm sorry, Naruto…" He murmured before he looked down again. "If I hadn't neglected you, this wouldn't have happened. I just want my son back…so I can tell you how sorry I am for what I did, and how much you mean to both me and you mother." The Hokage felt silly talking to his son's comatose form, but he felt he had to get this off his chest. "I know my actions weren't the best, and I know I am to blame for this, but it is also Master Jiraiya's fault for telling us that stupid prophecy. I can't pin the blame on him entirely, and I know I am at fault for what I did, but I just want another chance. I just want to be there for you as a father should. I want to make things right…" Tears were falling down his face as his blonde hair hid his blue eyes. "I just want to make things up to you…"

Minato's hand was around his son's, holding it gently, as if waiting for any sign of life. Then, a gentle squeeze came. The Hokage perked up when he felt that squeeze on his hand. Looking back at his son's still form, Minato was unsure if what he felt was real. Looking down at his son's hand, his blue eyes went wide as he saw Naruto squeezing his hand in return. "Naruto...?" He asked in a whisper. Then, blue eyes that mirrored his opened for the first time in seven days, looking right at him.

Tears ran down Minato's face at the sign of life from his son. He knelt by his son's bedside, running a hand through Naruto's hair. Never had the Fourth Hokage felt so relieved in his life than seeing one of the most precious people in his life awake again. This time…he would make things right…

* * *

Any reviews that flame this story _**WILL**_ be reported and/or deleted.


	2. Chapter One: Healing's Beginnings

**Note: This is a challenge that was put up by Patriot-112 that I decided to take on. I do not own the idea or Naruto for that matter. Naruto belongs to Kishimoto and the idea belongs to Patriot-112.**

 **Patriot-112: Glad you liked it! Next chapter should be just as good, I hope.**

 **Bankai777: She will when she gets back to Konoha, but not yet.**

 **Ncpfan: Oh, don't worry. In this chapter, Minato will face consequences for his actions and will come to face his decision in a similar manner to the first time he nearly lost Naruto. However, he will come to accept his actions in this chapter. And I appreciate the constrictive criticism you gave. I will be sure to use that in this chapter! You just gave me an idea I could not resist throwing in here! :D**

 **Moon of my heart: I didn't intend to, to be honest. :D**

 **Guest: Glad you liked it! :D**

 **PiccolaNaruto18: Here comes more! :D**

 **Katalina471: Naruto will be good, but he will have to rebuild the relationship with his dad, and that will take time. Glad you liked it! :D**

 **Please note I would like people to put a name in the reviews so I can connect better with my readers. It makes things easier for me, and you guys. If you have an account, please sign in, or at least put the account name so I know who you are. But if you don't have an account, then please use a name that is consistent so I can address reviews better.**

 **Note: I am going to address this** _ **only**_ **in the A/N. I will** _ **NOT**_ **tolerate** _ **any**_ **flames, whether signed or not. This a fanfic challenge, and as such, it will** _ **not**_ **be like the manga or anime. If you do not like it, then simply do not read it. It's that simple. Just hit the back button and forget you even found this story. I do** _ **not**_ **need readers bashing me for my story just because they do not like the idea. I write this fic for my own amusement, and not for the catering of my readers. If you happen to like it, then please go ahead and read it. But do** _ **not**_ **come after me because you hate the idea of the fic.**

 **I will also address something else too. I will** _ **NOT**_ **make this an evil Naruto or dark Naruto fanfic. Minato made a mistake by favoring Naruto's twin, yes, but Naruto will** _ **NOT**_ **become evil because of it. I want to show how Naruto and his father mend their bond, but without going to the 'I hate you because you made a mistake and now I will become evil and wipe out Konoha and rule the world' extreme. Please do not bash me for this either. As I have said, this is a challenge fic and I can write it as I see fit. I just want to make my position on this very clear. That is all.**

 **I am going to require listening to the song** _'Hymn for The Missing'_ **for this chapter. I did just that, and I wound up literally crying. Trust me, it will make it all the better. :D**

 **Enjoy~!**

 **Whew, that was long. XD!**

* * *

Chapter One: Healing's Beginnings

Five Iwa ninjas crept about, glee on their faces as thoughts of getting back at Konoha raced around in their minds. Since the end of the Third Great Ninja War, Iwa had been waiting for the chance to strike, and now they had it.

The intelligence had mentioned the Hokage had two grandchildren, one of whom he loved dearly. Their mission was to claim his granddaughter, the new container of the Kyuubi, according to the intelligence they had received. They could kill anyone else they saw.

Of course, the intel provided was flawed. It had not mentioned that the Hokage in question was also the Yellow Flash. Rumors had persisted the Hokage was in fact the Yellow Flash, but there had been no proof of it since the humiliating defeat suffered in the last war had prevented Iwa from sending any new Shinobi to gain new intelligence.

Still, the Shinobi entered the village, their mission now under way. It was time for some revenge…

* * *

It had been three days since Naruto had woken up from his coma, but he was still in the hospital to recover from his self-inflicted wounds. As much as he wanted out, the boy was confined to his bed until his mom and the medics said he was clear to leave. As happy as he was that his son was awake, Minato Namikaze felt a sense of guilt that lingered over his mind. The famed Yellow Flash knew he had been to blame for his son's action, but he had also blamed his master, Jiraiya. Luckily, his wife hadn't found out yet. If she had, he would have been in some real trouble.

The young Hokage was unsure of whether what he did was right or not. Kushina noticed her husband's unusual silence and walked over to him, curious as to what was bothering him.

"Minato? You okay?" She asked as she sat down beside him. The Yellow Flash didn't even look at her at first. Then, he sighed.

"No…" He replied at last. "Yesterday, when Master Jiraiya came by…he and I talked."

Kushina frowned, guessing as to where this was headed. "Oh, I know alright. I overheard everything." She replied in a terse manner. Minato winced as he realized she knew about that. Oh, crap. "You blamed Master Jiraiya, didn't you?"

"Well…not exactly…" Minato began, but his wife's temper was already unleashed, and not even the famed Yellow Flash was safe from her wrath.

"Don't play dumb with me, mister! I know what you did, so don't act like it's a new subject! You tried to justify your behavior towards our son!" Kushina snapped back.

"It's not like that!" Minato shot back. "If Master Jiraiya hadn't told us that prophecy, none of this would have happened!"

"Oh yeah? Sounds to me like you took the coward's way out!" Kushina countered, her tone growing even angrier.

"No I didn't!" Minato shouted. "I wasn't trying to do anything like that! I know very well what I did was wrong! But Master also played a part in this as well!"

Kushina just scoffed at his answer. "Sure he did! He didn't tell you to cast Naruto aside, did he?"

"No, but-"

"Then there you go! That was your own doing! You shouldn't try to blame someone else for your actions!" The Hot-Blooded Habanero exclaimed. "You're nothing but a coward, Minato Namikaze!"

Now Minato was getting mad. "But you did it too!" He countered, his voice rising.

"At least I didn't blame someone else! At least I acknowledged my role and that I was the only one to blame!" Kushina shouted back. "But you had to take the coward's way out and blame the one man who trained you! You had to blame the one man who looked at you as a son!" Her sharp tone and words caught the Fourth Hokage off-guard, and his anger seemed to vanish in a split second. "Jiraiya gave everything he had into training you, and _this_ is what you do to repay him?! You blame him for what happened to _your_ son?! You're no Hokage if you act like this! Until you accept what you did was your own fault, you're not allowed back in this house!"

Minato was shocked by what she was saying. "I live here too! You aren't the only one who owns this place!" He shot back, his tone angered now.

"Well, I can still kick you out!" Kushina snapped back, her tone begging him to try it. As much as Minato wanted to argue back with her, he found he couldn't bring himself to do so. Kushina noticed this and nodded once. "Thought so. Now get out!"

Minato wanted to protest, and say he was calling the ANBU on her, but in the end, he decided it wasn't worth the fight. The guilt gnawed at him, forcing him to stop the argument and just leave, but not before he took a few changes of clothes and his ninja gear with.

He looked back at the house, his wife standing in the doorway. Her look just dared him to try and sneak back in. Minato just turned away and left, not wanting to even try it.

The guilt continued to gnaw away at his consciousness, but he shoved it aside.

"There's no way I'm the only one to blame for this…" He muttered to himself, but his wife's words raced around in his mind, making him wonder if she was truly right.

He knew he couldn't stay outside at night, but where could he stay when he was supposed to be at his home? Grunting to himself, the Fourth Hokage knew the perfect spot. The Hokage's officer was the perfect place. It had a small living space off the office in case he had to stay the night, so it would work out until he could get things sorted out for himself.

* * *

Namiko peered out of her room before making her way down the stairs. She saw only her mom in the living room, her dad missing. "Mom? Where's dad?" She asked as the red-head looked over.

"He had to leave for a while, honey." Kushina replied. "Your father and I had an argument earlier and he had to leave to take some time away for a while."

Namiko wasn't dumb by any means, but even a ten-year old couldn't fully understand adult concepts sometimes. The young Jinchuuriki looked back at her mother, still confused.

"But why? Does this always happen with adults?" She asked as Kushina sighed.

"Look, Namiko. You might be trained in the shinobi arts, but even adult concepts aren't told until a later age. Once you leave the Academy, then we'll tell you more. Okay?" The kunoichi said.

The younger red-head nodded. "Okay."

"C'mon. We're going to see your brother." Kushina said as she stood up, her daughter looking quite excited.

"Let's go!" Namiko exclaimed eagerly.

Too bad it wasn't going to be a routine visit this time around…

* * *

The five Iwa Shinobi were moving around undercover when one of them saw a young red-headed girl walking with an older red-head. The intelligence for the girl was correct, as she matched the image they had each seen.

The older woman was also the Hot-Blooded Habanero, but she was not the target. It was clear though that the mission wouldn't be as easy as originally first thought. Still, she was unarmed, and there was no sign of other Shinobi around. Plus, all five were of the Jonin level, so they could handle whatever the Habanero threw their way.

Looking back at the destination, the five Iwa Shinobi realized there would be too many witnesses with the hospital in the vicinity. However, since it was a hospital, there would be too many injured and dying to evacuate, so it was a prime target to try and take out. In the confusion, they then could snatch up the girl and make their escape. The plan seemed perfect.

In a matter of minutes, the five shinobi had split up under a concealment jutsu and begun to plant explosive tags around the building's exterior before hiding the bombs with a special camouflage jutsu. This was too easy, one shinobi mused as he planted another tag on the wall outside.

The girl would be theirs in no time…

* * *

Kushina and Namiko began to make their way to the hospital, unaware of what was to come that very evening. The two females were eager to see their son and brother again, Namiko especially since her twin was awake once more.

Just before they could enter the building however, something seemed wrong. Looking up, Kushina caught the scent of some unfamiliar shinobi. Her eyes wide with horror, she grabbed her daughter and dove to the ground, just as the tags on the exterior of the hospital went off, setting the building ablaze. There was no doubt that no one in the village had missed hearing the explosion. Looking up, Kushina's eyes were wide with fright and terror. Her son was still in the building! At once, she began to regret the fight she had had with her husband.

' _Minato…please hurry and get here, you idiot!'_ She thought before she looked around, seeing many shinobi of her home beginning to move to put out the blaze.

* * *

There was no mistake when Minato heard what sounded like a large explosion. He looked out the window of the small living quarters off his office in the Hokage building, only to see the glow of flames outside, coming from the direction of the hospital. At once, his heart began to race. That was where Naruto was!

His mind panicking, the Fourth Hokage reacted at once, using his Hiraishin to teleport to the burning building quickly. He appeared outside the entrance, just as Kushina looked back at his arrival. "It's about time you got here." She snapped as he gave her a hard glare of his own.

"Just tell me what happened." He said in his no-nonsense tone.

Kushina glared back at him before Asuma Sarutobi came up and spoke. "We had an explosion occur. We think it might be the work of some enemy Shinobi." The Jonin said as Minato looked back at him.

"Are you sure?" The Hokage asked as Asuma nodded. "Yes, sir." The Jonin replied.

Looking back, Minato knew there was no way everyone could be evacuated in time unless something was done. But it required him going in. "I'm heading in." He said as Asuma and Kushina looked back at him.

"But, sir-" Asuma began, only for Minato to cut him off.

"I'm the only one here who can use the Hiraishin. If I help out, we may have a chance of getting everyone out alive." The Hokage replied sternly. Asuma nodded. Kushina huffed, but she still hoped he would get out alive.

Looking back at the entrance, Minato ran into the burning building, but not before he gave Asuma one of his tri-pronged kunai. "This has a marker on it, so I can just teleport back out if you hold onto it." Asuma nodded in confirmation before the Yellow Flash turned and ran into the blazing hospital.

At once, he could feel the heat on his skin and he coughed as ash and soot floated in the air. Covering his mouth with one hand, Minato ran deeper into the blaze. He could see Shinobi moving quickly to get the injured and sick out alive. However, there was one person he was looking for the most. Racing to the second floor staircase, the Fourth Hokage found it was blocked by burning debris. This was the last path to the second floor that was not fully aflame, but it was blocked off by burning remains of the doors and some parts of the walls. Minato growled before he tried to grab some debris that was not fully ablaze, only to pull back because it was too hot. He hissed at the pain that seared across his left hand as he yanked it away in time.

Narrowing his blue eyes, the Yellow Flash called upon his Rasengan jutsu in his right hand and slammed it into the debris, throwing it apart in a matter of seconds. The pathway was clear. The Fourth Hokage ran into the stairwell and easily reached the second floor where his son's room was. Looking around, Minato tried to spot the room his son was in, but with the thick smoke swirling around, he couldn't see the numbers outside each room. The smoke was much thicker up on the second floor, which made the Hokage cough even more violently. He had to find his son before he lost him again!

Opening his eyes, Minato made his way down the hall, his hand on the wall to guide him since he couldn't rely on his eyesight to find Naruto's room. The fire alarms blaring made it hard to hear his son's voice as well, so he couldn't rely on his hearing as much as he wanted to either.

"Naruto?" Minato called before he coughed again. Regaining himself, he tried again. "Naruto!"

There was no answer. Minato briefly wondered if his son wasn't calling out to him because he felt like he wasn't wanted still. Shaking his head, the Fourth Hokage tried to shove the thought from his mind, but there was no way to do so. The guilt of what he did gnawed at him even more, and it was then that he began to realize that his wife was right. His son wasn't answering because of _his_ actions. There was no way it was just Jiraiya's fault. In fact, it wasn't his master's fault at all. It was _his_ fault for taking that prophecy so literally. He had pushed his son away, and now Naruto probably didn't want anything to do with him. Minato felt like just running out of the burning hospital, but he pushed the feeling aside. He wasn't going to let his son die, even if Naruto didn't want his help!

Making his way down the hall some more, Minato finally began to pick up on a sound that was familiar to him: his son's voice. Naruto sounded like he was coughing badly. Minato briefly wondered why no one had come to grab his son and get out. Shoving the thought aside, the Fourth Hokage made his way through the doorway and sure enough, there was Naruto still in his bed. "Naruto!"

The boy looked up at his father's voice, and for a moment, Minato saw only pain and loneliness in his son's eyes. The Hokage winced internally at the look his son was giving him. There was no way to deny it now. _He_ was the reason Naruto nearly took his own life. His son didn't want anything to do with him, he was sure of it. The creak of the ceiling above brought the Yellow Flash out of his state and he reacted quickly. Without as much as a second thought, he grabbed Naruto and fled the room, just as the ceiling came crashing down.

Naruto looked shaken as he glanced back at what remained of the room he had been in earlier that day. The boy was terrified out of his mind, and he hugged his father tightly, probably not even aware of what he was doing. Minato sensed this and looked down. Naruto was clinging tightly to his Chuunin vest as the fire raged around them. The thick soot made the two of them start coughing again, and Minato was sure his lungs felt like they were on fire.

Standing up, he held his son as tightly as he could before he took off running before he tried to focus on the marker of that kunai he had given Asuma. But, much to his dismay, the marker was moving around in the burning building. There was no way he could flash out without the marker to home in on. His wife didn't have one of his kunai with her, and his daughter he hadn't even bothered to place a marker on yet.

Realizing he would have to leave the hospital another way, Minato began to look around as he ran for any sort of escape. His blue eyes landed on the stairwell he had come from and he didn't even bother to stop running as he reached it. The Fourth Hokage ran down the stairwell and emerged into the burning lobby, coughing as he did so. He could see the exit ahead of him, and he felt his heart lift. They were almost there!

As if to ruin the moment though, the ceiling suddenly caved in, causing Minato to react and try to escape it. But there was no time…

* * *

Kushina looked on worriedly as the shinobi began to search out her husband and son. She had mentioned him going in earlier, but now there was no sign of him or Naruto. Had something happened to the two of them?

Namiko was nervous for her father and brother. Why were they not emerging from the burning building?

* * *

Minato coughed as the smoke and dust settled down as best it could when given the current circumstances of a burning building around them. His left leg felt like it was on fire, and he couldn't move it. Pressure on it gave away he was trapped by the debris from the collapse earlier. He looked down, seeing Naruto still in his grasp. But, much to his dismay, Minato could see blood running from his bandaged stomach. The wounds had reopened. A pang of guilt raced through his heart. If only he hadn't neglected Naruto…Was this payback for blaming Jiraiya for what happened? Was the price of his actions his son's life? Tears began to run down Minato's face as he hugged his semi-conscious son close to him.

'' _I'm so sorry Naruto…I shouldn't have neglected you! I shouldn't have tried to blame Master Jiraiya for what_ I _did. I should have accepted my actions. Then maybe none of this would have happened…''_ He thought as he tried to keep his son's face clear of debris and smoke, unaware he had voiced those thoughts verbally as well.

"I'm a terrible father…" Minato murmured softly. "I don't deserve your forgiveness, Naruto…Not after what I did to you and Master… I should have been there for you…and accepted the result of _my_ actions instead of blaming Master for something that _I_ did…" He wasn't sure if Naruto heard him or not at that point anyway.

Looking down at his son again, the Yellow Flash brushed his son's face for what he was sure was the last time. "If we get out of this…I'll try to be a better parent from now on…" He murmured as he began to feel light-headed. He began to cough again, feeling the smoke beginning to take its toll on him. Faint voices reached his hearing before Minato looked over and saw some shinobi running towards him and Naruto, one of which was Asuma. The Fourth Hokage tried to cry out to them, but his words died in his throat as his vision blurred and went black…

* * *

Kushina was in a state of panic when she saw Asuma and Might Guy emerge from the hospital with the unconscious forms of both Minato and her son Naruto. Naruto's stomach area was bleeding again, and her husband was covered in soot here and there. The sign of blood on his left leg gave away he must have been trapped by some debris, or had injured himself in some way trying to get Naruto out alive.

"What happened?" She asked in a panicked tone.

"We don't know much, but from what we saw, it seems like Minato tried to get his son out, but the ceiling caved in before they could get outside, trapping them both." Asuma replied as he set Minato down on a stretcher. "We don't know the extent of his injuries yet, but it seems bad." As Guy set Naruto down on another stretcher, medics came to check the two of them.

One looked over Minato while another began to work on healing up Naruto's stomach wounds again. Almost at once, the medics saw what kind of injuries the Fourth Hokage had sustained. "His left leg is definitely broken, and he has a severe burn on the palm of his left hand, probably from touching something burning in an attempt to move it or something." The medic noted.

Kushina made her way over to the still form of her husband. His breathing was unsteady from smoke inhalation and he looked bad. Soot covered his blonde hair here and there, giving it a dull yellow color, and his tan skin was now a pale color from the dust and soot that covered his exposed face. Naruto was no better, except his stomach wound was now reopened, which made his condition a bit more worrisome.

Namiko was even more panicked, considering her twin brother was badly hurt again. Looking at her dad, the female twin was about to lose control of her emotions. The girl didn't know what to do at that point in time.

A slight groan came from Minato as he moved his head a bit, causing Kushina to kneel down next to him. His blue eyes opened as he caught sight of his wife next to him. "Kushina…" He rasped before he coughed badly. His throat felt like it was on fire.

"You idiot…" Kushina said as she shook her head. "You always have to rush in, don't you?"

"Naruto…" Minato rasped. "Is he…"

"He's being taken care of now." Kushina assured the Fourth Hokage. "I'm just glad you got him out alive."

Those words didn't calm the Yellow Flash though, at least not much. Tears ran down Minato's cheeks as he gritted his teeth and closed his eyes. "It's my fault…" He rasped. "It's my fault Naruto nearly took his life…"

Kushina was surprised at what her husband was saying. "Minato…"

"You…you were right. I shouldn't have blamed Master for my actions." Minato sighed before he looked back at Naruto's limp form. "It was _my_ actions that nearly cost me my son, and Namiko her brother. I just want to make things up to him…but…" His body shook from the pain of his injuries as well as grief. "But I don't know if he wants anything to do with me now…"

Naruto didn't move, which made Minato feel even worse. "When I got to him…I only saw pain in his eyes when he met mine…it hurt…it hurt so bad…seeing that in his eyes…" It was hard to admit, but he now knew only he was to blame.

He reached out for his son's limp hand, and grasped it in his burned left hand. The Fourth Hokage winced at the pain, but he didn't care. He just wanted to be there for his son…

"I'm sorry…Naruto…" Minato whispered as he brushed his son's hand with a thumb as gently as he could. "I'm so, so sorry…"

The Fourth Hokage didn't care if he was crying at that moment. He just wanted to be a father to Naruto again. He just wanted to go back to the way things were before he had heard that damn prophecy… His vision was blurred by his tears, but Minato didn't even care if he was a shinobi at that point. He just wanted to be a parent to his son again…

As the medics treated the two, more shinobi were rushing in to get out more patients from the blazing building. Thankfully, almost everyone had gotten out alive, including Naruto and Minato.

Minato winced as a medic wrapped his leg in bandages. It was bad enough the hospital was ablaze, but when there was no medicine to help with the pain, it was even worse. His left hand had been wrapped in white bandages already, so it looked like he was wearing a mitten when it was fall.

Kushina sat between her husband and Naruto, with Namiko next to her brother. "I would advise against any sort of missions for the next few weeks, considering you have a nasty break in your left femur." The medic treating Minato said as he finished with the bandages.

"Thanks…" Minato rasped before he coughed again. The soot felt terrible in his lungs, but only time could remove that from his body. Looking back at his son, the Yellow Flash didn't know what else to do. Naruto's stomach wounds had been healed by now, but he wasn't awake yet, which reminded the young Hokage eerily of when his son had been in a coma just a few days ago. Worry was on Minato's face as he tried to reach out to his son, but was unable to because of the pain in his left hand racing up his arm.

The soot on Naruto's face made him look dead with the rise and fall of his chest being the only thing that gave away he was still alive. If it wasn't for that slight movement in his son, Minato would have blamed himself for his son's death, and he was already wracked with enough guilt for causing Naruto's suicide attempt.

Kushina didn't know what to say to him at that point. All she could do was hope Naruto would be alright.

' _You're no Hokage if you act like this!'_ Those words raced around in Minato's mind, causing fresh tears to race forth once more. "How can I call myself Hokage if I do something like this?" He murmured. "I don't deserve the title if I nearly caused my own son to kill himself…"

The red-headed kunoichi didn't know how to react to his words at first. "Minato…you do deserve the title."

"Not if I did this to my own son!" Minato shouted back before his gaze landed on Naruto again. "Not if I did this…"

"But daddy…" Namiko whispered.

"No…I don't deserve it. You were right. My actions did this. If I can't protect those precious to me, then I don't deserve to be called Hokage…" Minato rasped as he closed his eyes, tears running down his face. "If my actions can't protect those close to me, then I…"

"Don't you even dare to finish that sentence, Minato!" Kushina shot back. "You _do_ deserve to be Hokage, even if you say you don't! True, you made a mistake, but you can still fix it! Sure, it will take time, but if I'm willing to do so, then so should you!"

The blonde didn't know what to say at first, but he knew she had a point.

"Minato, I will admit, I was wrong to say those things to you, but you _were_ acting like it wasn't just your fault. It all just came to a head I guess…I'm sorry." Kushina said as she looked down.

"No, you weren't wrong. _I_ was the one who was acting like a coward." Minato said as he sighed. "I shouldn't have been so eager to lay the blame on Master."

'I guess we both were at fault huh?" Kushina joked. Minato gave her a sad smile before both parents looked back at their son.

In the light of the flames from the burning building, Naruto looked so helpless. It made Minato's heart ache to see his son so still. A soft groan came from the boy, making both parents and his twin sister gasp softly. His eyes opened a bit before Naruto saw his mom and sister beside him. Kushina looked so relieved upon seeing her son awake while Namiko was happy to the point of tears running down her face. But the most relieved was Minato, as he had been the one who risked it all to get his son out alive.

Naruto looked to his sister and mother, not even seeing his father on the stretcher next to him at first. "Mommy?"

"It's alright, Naruto. We're here." Kushina assured the boy. Looking to his sister, Naruto felt a bit of jealousy towards her. Why was she unharmed when he was injured? He didn't even remember _how_ he had ended up in the hospital in the first place.

Naruto's gaze then landed on his father's form. Minato's eyes met Naruto's, and father and son didn't move. Naruto looked his father over, taking in his bandaged left hand and leg. "Why?" The boy asked. "Why did you save me? Don't you and mommy want me dead?"

Minato felt guilt shoot through his heart at those words. "No…" He replied in a soothing tone. "No, we don't…" Minato couldn't stop himself at that point. "I'm so sorry Naruto…I didn't mean for it to get out of hand…I never wanted to treat your sister the way I did…But it did…It did get out of hand, and I ignored you. I ignored you and made the biggest mistake of my life…and it nearly cost me yours." Minato then gritted his teeth. "I was such a fool…My actions nearly cost me someone I care about! My actions nearly cost me you, Naruto! I was so stupid for treating you the way I did! _You're someone precious to me!_ And I nearly lost you… _we_ nearly lost you…because I was so stupid to see what was happening to you…"

Naruto just stared at his father, not showing any emotion.

"I didn't want to lose you, Naruto…not after nearly losing you once before." Minato said at last. "That is why I saved you. I love you, Naruto, more than you know." He then sighed. "It took nearly losing you to make me realize that though..."

The Hokage then looked back at his son. "If anything…I just want to be there for you, like I did when you were younger…"

Naruto didn't say anything at first, making Minato worry that his son truly hated him. In truth, Naruto _did_ want to hate his father, but after hearing what his dad had said, and given how Minato had risked his life to save him, there was no denying his father wanted to make things right. How could the boy argue against that?

Reaching out a hand, Naruto grasped his father's bandaged one, even if it wasn't tightly. Minato knew at that point his son _did_ want to forgive him, but it would take time and effort. "I can't hate you…but it will take time to earn my forgiveness."

That was all Minato needed to hear. If his son was willing to give him a chance, then he would take it…

* * *

As I mentioned in the above A/N at the beginning of the chapter, I will not tolerate flames of any kind, whether signed or not. But constructive criticism _is_ welcome. Now that Naruto has decided to give his family a chance to earn his forgiveness, only time will tell if they succeed or not. Please read and review~! :D


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